Remote control software is an established means of allowing an agent (e.g. a user, a system etc.) to remotely diagnose (and if possible, fix) a faulty computer system or application. Fixing a problem remotely offers significant savings over sending personnel on-site, e.g. in terms of travel costs, the time it takes to resolve a problem etc.
However, despite these savings, there is still significant resistance (e.g. from financial institutions) to allowing an external agent to access a computer system due to a lack of “trust” between the parties and a suspicion that the agent may do something other than the task for which access was granted (e.g. access confidential information, change a setting to allow an agent undetected access at a later time, etc.). Some current solutions offer, for example, an authentication mechanism for authenticating an agent or a mechanism which allows a user to choose whether to accept a remote control session with an agent.
However, the resistance still often results in remote control software only being authorised for use by a company's in-house personnel and is therefore a significant inhibitor to a service provider wishing to use remote control software in a services engagement for a customer.